Honduras

Honduras (Republic of), country in Central America bordered by the Caribbean Sea, Nicaragua, El Salvador and the Pacific Ocean, and Guatemala. The capital is Tegucigalpa.

Land and people

Most of Honduras is mountainous, but there are swamps and forests in the east, along the Mosquito Coast. Enclosed within the mountain ranges are several basins that have become the major population centers. The official language is Spanish, and Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion.

Economy

U.S.-owned banana and coffee plantations dominate the economy, and the bulk of the population works on the land. Coffee replaced bananas as the main export in 1975; other exports are timber, meat, cotton, and tobacco. There is little industry, and transport facilities are poor.

History

From the 4th to the 7th centuries the ancient city of Copán was a center of the civilization of the Mayas, but when Columbus reached the Honduran coast on his 1502 voyage, the country was inhabited only by seminomadic tribes. A Spanish colony for almost 300 years, Honduras was generally governed from Guatemala. In 1821 it won independence from Spain and became part of the Mexican empire, along with 4 other Central American States. Subsequently the 5 states formed the United Provinces of Central America, of which the Honduran patriot Francisco Morazán was president until its dissolution in 1838. Since that time, Honduras has been an independent republic. Its history has been marked by conflicts, revolutions, and military rule. The 1980s saw occasional border clashes with neighboring Nicaragua, and although more democratic structures have been imposed, rightist military officers generally dominated politics. The 1990s were characterized by violations of human rights by the military.